Dear Reader

How is your year going? Is your response ‘great’, ‘wonderful’, ‘best ever’ or is it ‘terrible’, ‘a struggle’ or ‘I have not stopped to think about it’. Whatever your response this issue of ‘Inspire’ is designed to assist you in realistically reviewing the last six months, to either build on your successes or assist you in turning your year around to thrive rather than just survive 2006.

I’ve had a great response to the launch of our ‘Mastering Your Inner Critic, Releasing Your Inner Wisdom’ workshop which is running on July 13th.  There are still a couple of places left so email me for details if you would like to attend.

Thank you to those of you who were able to sponsor me for the Anthony Nolan Trust bike ride (I do realise that at this time of year people are inundated with requests for sponsorships). Hamstring problems as a result of gardening the weekend before(!) meant I completed the middle distance. So with cycling to/from the start I cycled 45 miles, and I raised a whopping £1200 with gift aid, with some sponsorship still coming via www.justgiving.com/melaniegreene which will stays open until 25/8. Thank you so much for this.

Best wishes

Melanie Greene


Melanie Greene


How is your year going?

  • So what was your reaction to this question? Positive, negative, neutral? Are you thriving in life or just about surviving – whether this is financially, physically, mentally or spiritually. Remember to look at all aspects of your life in and out of work, your social and family life.

  • Get a realistic, balanced view of the year – list out all the highs and all the lows. I do this on a month by month basis. Often if a month has been a struggle I can loose sight of the highs and good things that have happened. And the lows often indicate what I need to pay more attention to in my life.

What have been the key highlights so far?

What are the key areas that you need to pay attention to?

‘Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without loosing your enthusiasm.’ Winston Churchill

  • Changing goals / priorities – Life changes and your ability to adapt your goals accordingly is very important if you want to end your year feeling like you have succeeded and enjoyed 2006. It might be that there have been unexpected changes at work, at home - these might be positive or negative. What impact do these changes have on your goals and priorities for this year? See right hand column ‘Living with Change’ for how we help individuals and organisations manage change.

‘We will either find a way or make one.’ Hannibal

  • Sticking points – Sticking points are when we feel stuck, when things don’t seem to be moving forward. We can all encounter sticking points at some time in our lives, either:
    • when we are just starting out on a project or changing something in our lives
    • when we are part way along our journey
    • or at particular times of our life or in a particular area of our life

Whenever these sticking points appear they are real tests of our determination and perseverance. If we are determined then we win through. But, any hesitation, doubt in our mind about our ability to change and move beyond the sticking point will keep us stuck.

Are there parts of your life that act as sticking points?

See the right hand column for ideas to keep yourself moving forward.

‘Never give up. This may be your moment for a miracle.’ Albert Einstein

  • Tipping points – Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book ‘Tipping Point,’ wrote about the fact that you can look at social, health or sales phenomena and find that there is a point where a certain momentum is reached and with very little extra effort change suddenly happens.

I feel this can be applied to us changing things in our lives. Sometimes change is sudden, in other cases whether it is when we are changing our diet, becoming financially solvent, exercising more or staying calm rather than losing our temper, it feels like nothing is changing, regardless of the action we take. However, by persevering a momentum gathers and the ‘tipping point’ is reached, then there is no stopping us.

What can you do to speed up the ’tipping point’?

‘We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that sometimes big changes follow from small events, and that sometimes these changes can happen very quickly’ Malcolm Gladwell

  • Celebrate success/progress – rather than wait for everything to be sorted out or for the final goal to be achieved, remember to celebrate the successes along the way. This will be more motivating and help to keep up your energy and enthusiasm.

Want more Inspiration? If you want any support in reviewing your year and your goals and getting back on track, we can offer 1:1 support or group workshops to assist you in doing this. Just call 01865 377334 or email mg@grovelands.org.uk  to arrange a time to speak in confidence. For more information about Grovelands visit our website: www.grovelands.org.uk

Feel free to pass this issue of ‘Inspire’ onto others – if you have been forwarded this issue and would like to receive your own copy each month, click here to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.



What supports can you use to keep you going ...

Research shows that those people who use a range of support are better able to rise to challenges and succeed in life. Think about what supports you can use to ensure that you thrive in 2006 regardless of the challenges that you face.

Professional – coach, business advisor, mentor – I have always drawn on either professional coaches, peer coaching or mentors to support and challenge me through my life and career. Who can you call upon as a mentor or coach?

Friends – which friends are there to support you no matter what, who will celebrate your successes and help you work through your crisis?

Activities – what activities do or could you engage in that will support you physically, mentally, socially, spiritually, and emotionally?

Rewards/incentives – these are often used in larger organisations, but do we provide ourselves with enough rewards and incentives to keep ourselves going? What would be a good reward or incentive for you?

              **********

How can Grovelands help you?

In each issue of ‘Inspire’ I will describe a different aspect of our work.

Living with change. A few months ago I ran a Continuous Professional Development session for the Greater Manchester Police on Learning To Live With Change.

Over the years we have worked with individuals, teams and organisations helping them to manage and thrive within a changing environment.

For most of us change is a constant process, yet many people resist or struggle with it. We can assist people in understanding their reaction to the process of change and help managers develop their skills in supporting their teams through change.

              **********

Look out for August’s issue of ‘Inspire’ that will be about ‘Can you hang on to the holiday feeling throughout the year?’

People often talk about loosing the benefit of any holiday within about 24 hours of returning to work or home. But there are things you can do to hold onto the holiday feeling or to create it during your daily life.

              **********

Grovelands provides:

  • Consultancy advice
  • 1:1 coaching and mentoring
  • in-house and public workshops

to individuals, partnerships, SMEs and national organisations.

See www.grovelands.org.uk  for more details

  You are receiving this email because you are a friend or client of Grovelands or you have requested the newsletter from our website. If you no longer wish to receive this please click here.